Silencio!
by vnfan
Summary: Molly Weasley is finding it difficult to get a good night's sleep at Grimmauld Place.


Author's note: I know that Fleur is not explicitly listed as an Order member in canon. However, I don't think that it is implausible, especially since she was a Triwizard champion and is marrying a Weasley. The thought of this scene was just too good to resist!

Molly sighed again. Another early morning at Grimmauld Place. Life here was much less peaceful and settled than life at the Burrow, and that was not just because of the war. Sometimes empty and gloomy, sometimes bustling and full, Grimmauld Place was not an easy place to live in. With Order members on constantly changing day and night duty shifts checking in to give reports, or gather for meetings, it was not uncommon to hear people come and go at all hours. What woke Molly up so early today were definite noises of coming. Two people, passionately and loudly, coming. Two people in dire need of a Silencing Charm, and a Contraception Charm, as well.

Molly glanced at her clock. 5am was, she supposed, a respectable enough time for those activities. Knowing that she would not be falling back to sleep, Molly got out of bed, careful not to wake Arthur. She decided to make a cup of tea in hopes that her mood would improve. As the mug warmed her hands, she tried to figure out what it was about the situation that bothered her the most. She decided that the problem was twofold. First, she was profoundly embarrassed at hearing something so personal from her colleagues, whoever they were. Second, she was aware that, whoever they were, they were most assuredly not married.

When she'd complained to Arthur after the first few times she'd overheard these particular noises, he'd gently reminded her that it was none of her business. The children were all off at Hogwarts, and all of the Order members were adults who would not appreciate her interference. Their lack of Silencing Charms was unfortunate, but surely their friends were all responsible enough to remember Contraception Charms. Since the chances were slim that one of the passionate pair was Mundungus Fletcher (she shuddered at that particular image), she had to agree with Arthur. She'd continued to fume until he'd nuzzled her neck and made her forget her annoyance. She did not, however, forget a Silencing Charm.

Getting up to fix some toast, she began to wonder again about who was making the noise, and whether or not she could slip in some advice about those two basic charms. Thank heaven the children were all at Hogwarts, and she did not have to worry that it was them. Perhaps, though, she needed to have a chat with the girls this summer about Contraception Charms. She could just imagine the looks of horror on their faces when she started to talk about s-e-x!

That gave her an idea. If she could only figure out who was doing the early morning moaning, she could ask them for help when she gave The Talk to the children. It could serve as a gentle reminder of the need for family planning, and she could slip in a casual comment about how useful Silencing Charms could be in a crowded house. Yes, that might work. Now she just had to put names to the passion.

She had long had a feeling that something was brewing between Remus and Tonks. She'd done her best to nudge it along, since they were so clearly suited for each other. But it was unlikely that a man as intensely private as Remus, and a competent (though frightfully clumsy) Auror like Tonks, would forget to use either charm. Bill was in and out of the house, depending on his Order duties, but Molly didn't think he had a girlfriend. Such a shame, that, since he was such a handsome and kind young man; any girl would be lucky to have him. Kingsley preferred his own flat to this gloomy house, and Snape never stayed longer than he had to. That left Sirius as the most likely male suspect.

She was aware that this left her on very thin ice. The Order were all here as his guests, he and Molly rarely saw eye-to-eye on anything, and Sirius did not like being told what to do. Ever. He was, though, dedicated to Harry, and eager to do anything to fulfill the role of godfather. Surely some version of The Talk qualified as a godfather responsibility. She'd just bring it up casually, saying she was afraid that Arthur wouldn't have time to do it himself, and could he include Ron as a favor to her. She shuddered to think of all of the "extra" information Ron would glean from Sirius, but with five older brothers, some of that was inevitable.

That left her with the mystery of who Sirius's lover was. Oh mercy! What if it wasn't just one girl! It could be a parade of women-- not unlikely-- from what she'd heard of his Hogwarts days. But there simply weren't that many women who would have access to Grimmauld Place. She ran through the list. Tonks? Not that kind of cousin, and fairly obviously in love with Lupin. Hestia was not exactly seductress material. Emmaline? Much more likely. She aimed for a "stately" image, but Molly had caught a flash of garters and lace under Emmaline's robes, and she was known to have, what Molly would politely call, "a bit of a reputation."

The last candidate for Sirius's attention would be Fleur. Molly recalled Fleur's first Order meeting a few months ago. Madame Maxime had encouraged Dumbledore to involve Fleur, who was now working part time at Gringotts. Many, both customers and goblin staff, would assume that her English was poor and would, perhaps, speak less discreetly around her. With the help of Bill's diligent tutoring, Fleur's English was actually quite good, and she had proved to be a helpful spy. Her English seemed to be the only thing that most men thought she should improve about herself. Arthur, bless him, did his best not to stare at her, as did Remus. Molly thought Moody's magical eye just might fall out, and even Snape seemed to be a bit less nasty to her than he was to most people. Bill must have grown immune to the "Veela effect," as he sat there paying proper attention to the meeting. Sirius, who had been forced to live like a monk since Azkaban, was the only one who didn't even try to conceal his approval of Fleur's "assets." He'd eyed her appreciatively through most of that first meeting. Sirius had once been extremely handsome, and still, Molly had to admit, could be magnetic. Molly frowned at the nearly twenty year age difference. The French were said to be mature about these issues, but Molly was still concerned. At Fleur's age, a Contraception Charm was non-negotiable.

Molly sighed. She absolutely disapproved of that pairing. She was clever enough to know, though, that a direct attack would fail. Her thoughts were interrupted by the noise of two people coming down the stairs. They seemed to make it only halfway down when the moaning started again. Insatiable, she thought. Yes, that giggle was most definitely Fleur's. She heard the rumble of a man's voice, followed by the sound of someone being shoved up against the wall. What could they be thinking? They'd wake up that horrid portrait! Sure enough, Mrs. Black woke up in a very foul mood. Molly grabbed her wand and rushed out to help close the curtains. She registered Fleur's presence out of the corner of her eye as she yanked one half of the curtains closed. She turned to give Sirius a dressing down only to come face to face with a very sheepish looking Bill. The three of them stood in the hall, looking at each other, saying nothing.

Fleur was the first to move. "I will see you at work, no? Good day, Mrs. Weasley."

Molly hadn't imagined that a girl as fair skinned as Fleur could go quite that pale. As Fleur closed the door, Bill seemed to be struggling to compose a coherent sentence. Molly heard something that sounded like, "honorable intentions... love... engaged... careful..."

She patted Bill's cheek. "We'll talk about it later, love. Just be sure to talk to your father about basic charms." Molly left him there, his cheeks as red as his hair, and went back upstairs to bed.

As she slipped back under the blankets, Arthur woke up. "What woke you up so early today?" he asked.

"I just felt like having a cup of tea," she said as he reached for her. Smiling, she set her wand on the bedside table, and murmured, "Silencio."


End file.
